Master & Servant
by RawrJChan
Summary: "We'll go." Ichigo is the firstborn son of a farming family. One day, he and Karin are taken away to work because their family could not afford to pay off the enormous debt from long ago. Ichigo's life is changed. Warning: Yaoi!
1. A New Home

**Hi guys! My second fic. I hope it turns out well!**

**Bleach is not mine! It belongs to Tite Kubo! Cheers for him! =D**

******Warnings for yaoi, language, etc. Yaoi means male on male. If that's not how you roll, I suggest you not read this!**

******Starrk/Ichigo**

*******No sexual content in this chapter.**

* * *

Fresh, freezing cold water splashed Ichigo's tanned face, wetting the tips of his orange bangs. He shuddered as he breathed in deeply through his nose. Another morning, another day of work. Ichigo smiled to himself as he washed his face. He had a feeling it was going to be a good day.

The creaks of the front gate as it was opened could be heard even from where Ichigo was: the backyard. _I wonder who it could be so early in the morning, _Ichigo thought to himself as he wiped his face on his worn out shirt. He decided to check it out.

There were two voices. One was Isshin, Ichigo's extremely immature father, but the other one? It was a deep and intimidating voice that Ichigo did not recognize.

When Ichigo got closer to the gate, he could see his whole family and two guards. This could not be good. There went his supposedly good day.

"Please, give us more time," Isshin begged the guards. _What? Why?_ Why would guards come to their farm? They weren't even palace guards that always came to collect taxes.

"We cannot wait any longer. It's either your money or your land, Kurosaki." one of the guards snapped with the booming voice Ichigo had heard earlier.

Karin, one of Ichigo's twin sisters, noticed Ichigo watching. She quickly walked over, and in a quiet voice, whispered, "Debt."

Even with that one word, Ichigo understood the whole situation. Isshin must have borrowed money when he started the farm with his wife, Masaki, and couldn't pay back. Now they wanted their land. Wow, and he had thought this would turn out to be a good day.

One guard-the one that hadn't been talking to Isshin-caught sight of Ichigo and Karin. He jabbed his companion in the ribs and muttered something into his ear. Ichigo did not have a good feeling about this.

"Alright, we'll give you a deal." said the guard with the booming voice.

Isshin perked up.

The guard glanced at the brother and sister by the side of the house and at the young blond girl crying at her mother's feet. "Your children might be able to pay up for the debt."

Masaki broke down and began sobbing, hugging Yuzu tight. "Give us one day to think about this," Isshin muttered, his eyes downcast.

The guards agreed and left, and that night, Ichigo could hear his parents speaking softly in the kitchen. They were discussing the matter of sending the children away for the debt, no doubt. Ichigo-unable to sleep-crawled out of bed and silently opened the door to his room. In the hallway, he exchanged knowing glances with Karin, who obviously could not sleep either.

The three tiptoed up to the kitchen door, and Ichigo knocked. The speaking from inside stopped for a moment, then Isshin called, "Come in."

When Ichigo and Karin entered the room, the first thing they saw was their mother's red and puffy eyes and their father's unusually forlorn expression. Ichigo took a deep breath. He knew what he was about to say could change his life forever.

"We can go."

A moment of silence followed the 15-year-old's words, and then Masaki began sobbing once more. She rushed over from the round table he had been sitting on and pulled her children into a suffocating hug. "No, no, you can't go, you don't have to do this," she was saying.

"Mom, it's really alright. We need to do this anyway. We can't afford to lose the farm we all labored on for so long, can we? So we'll go." Ichigo soothed, pulling away from Masaki's grasp.

"Yuzu can stay. She has to. She need you, so she'll stay. But we'll go." Karin also pulled away.

Ichigo and Isshin shared a glance and the older man nodded. He stood to comfort his wife and sooth her tears. They both knew this was the only way. And so, a restless night fell over them.

* * *

The next morning, Ichigo and Karin grabbed what little belongings they had even before Yuzu woke up. Masaki have them some food to take in case they didn't feed her children well, and they were off with the guards. Ichigo was grateful that the guards had agreed to take only two children as long as they worked harder.

The wagon in which the four were riding on rattled along the road as they neared their destination. Puffs of dust formed behind them, and their farm slowly faded. _Shit. _Karin leaned against her brother, her face buried in his arms. She sniffled quietly, but Ichigo knew she was crying. It had been a long time since the girl cried, but Ichigo decided this was an appropriate moment to do so. So, he let her sob against his chest.

"Oi, get off." one of the guards snapped when they arrived at an enormous mansion. Ichigo and Karin stumbled as they gawked at the size of it. This was their new home.

On the porch of the grand threshold was a busty woman with long brown-orange hair held up by pins. She looked strangely familiar to Ichigo, but he shook his head. How could that be? The guards bowed when they saw her. She must be in a high position. She nodded, and led Ichigo and Karin into the mansion.

The interior of the house was even grander than its outside appearance. The young farmers had to fight to hold back from running around and gasping in admiration at everything they saw. They followed the woman past a gigantic marble staircase, and into an equally spacious hallway. They weaved through the hall, turning this way and that. It was like an extremely complicated maze, and Ichigo wondered if he would ever get used to it so that he would not get lost.

"This is the part of the mansion in which servants sleep. Or in other words, it's the Servants' Quarters. I'd love for you to be treated better and all, but you know... that's not allowed."

The woman stopped at a small wooden door exactly the same as the rest and entered. Brother and sister followed her in, and a rather small and simplistic room met them. There was a bunk bed, two small closets, one round table, and one circular window.

"I believe this is where you will be staying. For now, at least. I hope you don't mind we put you in the same room, since you're family and all... But always be prepared for change. You might need to switch rooms later on. Well, for various reasons." explained the woman. Her voice was sweet and cheery. She turned around, and Ichigo finally got to see her face up close.

"Orihime?" Ichigo uttered disbelievingly. Orihime Inoue was a bright girl that used to be Ichigo's friend when they were only small children and Karin and Yuzu were teeny babies. The girl had been taken away, however, when her parents died. Ichigo had only heard she had been adopted by a wealthy man.

"Ichigo," Orihime smiled and pulled Ichigo into a tight hug. "I never thought I would meet you here!"

"What happened? Why are you here?" Ichigo asked, his eyes wide with shock but his heart filled with joy. He grinned and hugged her before pulling away. How long has it been?

"Well, basically," Orihime began, flopping onto the bottom bed. "I was adopted after my parents passed away. I'm sure you heard that part. I was brought to this house as the only daughter of this extremely wealthy man whose name I didn't even know back then. I was required to take lessons to become more lady-like, I guess, and I was very busy with them. I couldn't even meet my new father for a while. Then, I met him for the first time when it had been exactly four months since I came to the house. I was really happy because he's a very nice man. I'm sure you'll like him too, Ichigo." Orihime smiled.

"Then, last night, I heard rumors about the Kurosaki family and their debt, and how their children were to come if they couldn't pay off. I knew the name was familiar!" Orihime stood and pulled Ichigo into a hug again. "I missed you and your family so much. I hope you enjoy staying here as much as I do."

"You are to meet the head of the servants tonight to see what jobs you get. All right? Oh, and Karin, I'm so glad to see you as well. I'll catch up with you guys later!" With that, Orihime left the room, her fancy dress trailing behind her.

Ichigo's shoulders slumped. A reunion with Orihime in a place like this. Amazing. He thought he would never see her again. It seemed she enjoyed this place, and he was glad for her.

"Who was that?" Karin's sudden voice startled Ichigo. "She knew you. She knew me."

"Oh, Orihime Inoue. She's a childhood friend. Of course you don't remember her, you we're so little when she was around." Ichigo explained. It had really been a while. Six, seven years, perhaps?

"Ichigo," Karin said, staring at the door and still holding onto her bag of luggage. "I miss Mom and Dad and Yuzu."

Ichigo scowled, balling his hands into fists. Frustration clouded his mind and he wanted to scream. Instead, he tugged Karin close. He heard her cry softly and he felt her warm tears soaking into his shirt. Something burned inside of him, but he wasn't sure what. Was it rage? Was it sorrow? He wanted for him and Karin to be back at home in their normal lives. Why did this have to happen to Karin? Why couldn't it just be him? But he couldn't change the situation now. Then, at least, he would protect her. He would not let her be hurt here. After all, that was why big brothers were born first. To protect the little ones that came after them.

* * *

**A few notes: **

**1) In this story, names will be said first name and then surname. Not the Japanese way!**

**2) I know that Orihime calls Ichigo "Kurosaki-kun" and he calls her "Inoue" but they are supposed to be close childhood friends! So I decided this way would be more fitting.**

**3) Orihime and Ichigo are NOT in love. This is yaoi, remember?**

**4) Yes, Ichigo's mother Masaki is not dead, she is alive.**

**5) I might edit/revise chapters later on. Just saying!**

**Thank you for anyone who reads this! Please review if you can! :)**

**PS. I won't be able to post another chapter until... probably the coming weekend. I'm going on a trip that doesn't allow electronics, as sad and outrageous that is. Well, tata! =D**

**Thank you, Rawr.**


	2. Start Talking, Already!

**Finally! Back from the trip! I missed you so much, Computer! So tired.**

**Thank you so much, xazur3x, Mayuzu, phoenixreal, everywherebut, hanangmad, LunarMay and BelovedAmy! You guys really made my day. :)**

**Okay, this is kind of embarrassing, but I'm not sure how to reply to reviews. So would any of you mind if I always replied through my story? Like I'm about to now :3**

**xazur3x - I know, right! I yearn for a bro like Ichi ;(((**

**Mayuzu - Sorry if it was confusing, I wanted her to welcome him since they know each other already!**

**Guest - Yup, I noticed when I read it over. Oops! But I fixed it now, thanks. =)**

**NGBW - Thank you, I appreciate that you took your time in reviewing.**

**Thanks again! Hope you enjoy. ;)**

* * *

The sound of footsteps echoed in the dead silence. Ichigo squeezed his sister's hand as they followed a small black-haired girl through the hallway. At home on normal days, Karin would kill him if he tried to hold her hand, not that he ever would, anyway. But now, everything was different. Karin was almost trembling in his grasp even though her expression was stone.

It was evening already. The siblings had spent the day unpacking what little things they had brought with them. Orihime visited once more, and they talked a little more since their first brief meeting. It was nice to see her again. However, Ichigo hated that they had to meet at a place like this. He wanted to be home with Masaki, Yuzu, Karin, and even old goat-face Isshin. He despised himself for not being able to do anything for Karin. He knew she missed them all already, but she would not let herself cry again.

A red-haired boy passed by, leading a teen about Ichigo's age. He had raven-colored hair that came down to his jaws on either side of his fair-skinned face. He pushed his glasses up his nose as he walked by, looking straight ahead. The teen looked nervous, but the reason for his anxiety, Ichigo could not fathom.

"We're here," announced the girl in a quiet tone, stopping in front of a door larger than that of Ichigo and Karin's room. Two guards stood on either side of the door and their sharp eyes followed them as they approached. The girl turned swiftly around to look at the two she was guiding, her pigtails whipping along. Opening the door, she gestured for them to enter.

Inside, a blond man stood, speaking with a few servants. He wore a green and white coat and a matching hat that shaded his eyes. The room looked similar to Ichigo's except it was larger and included a fireplace in front of several couches. When the man glanced up to see the newcomers, he grinned widely and dismissed the others.

"Thank you, Ururu-chan!" he said cheerily.

The girl who had guided the siblings bowed and left, leaving Ichigo, Karin, and the excessively cheerful man alone with only the two guards standing by the doorway outside. The man turned his attention towards the seemingly uncomfortable siblings awkwardly standing in front of the entrance.

"Come in, come in! Take a seat, please!"

Ichigo and Karin did as they were told, finding a couch and taking a seat next to each other. The unnamed blonde just sat smiling brightly at the two. Ichigo twitched, and he knew Karin was getting annoyed at the man as well. Was he just going to sit there and grin idiodically after he called them all the way over here? Karin was suffering, for goodness sake! Did no one care? No, of course they didn't. Why would they, anyway? They were just another pair of children whose families couldn't afford to pay for their debts. It did not matter to these rich bastards if they were happy or not. It did not matter whether they were in pain or not. Hell, Ichigo bet it didn't even matter if they lived or died as long as they worked well and these pieces of shit could make money from it. No, to them, the pieces of shit were probably him and Karin and all the other poorer, less fortunate peasants.

Ichigo cleared his throat, hoping that the man would take a hint and start talking already. However, he just remained the way he was, except he began humming. Oh no, he didn't.

"Hey..." Ichigo growled, his fingers twitching impatiently. Karin nudged him, silently telling him "no" but he ignored her. He knew she was frustrated as well. When he saw that the man hadn't moved from his original pose at all, he exploded. "Oi! What's the deal with you? What's up with calling us all the way over here and you just sit there and grin stupidly? Well, I don't want nothing to do with it, you hear me? Start yakking, you bastard! Why do I have to wait patiently for you to open that fucking mouth of yours and tell us what your business is? What do you want, huh? Tell me now or I see no reason to sit around. I'll leave, yeah, that's what I'll do! So start talking, already!"

The blonde's barely visible eyes widened at the outburst, but he quickly recovered and went back to smiling. This time, however, he spoke. "My deepest apologies." He said with a smile, tipping his hat. He grabbed some pieces of paper from the table, looking over them. "According to my data, you must be Ichigo Kurosaki-kun and Karin Kurosaki-san, son and daughter of Masaki and Isshin Kurosaki, correct?"

Karin nodded. Her brother avoided eye contact with the man and she could sense his irritation. She was annoyed as well, but she knew she had to calm down. Or else her brother would make trouble.

"Ah, my introductions were late, I'm sorry. My name is Kisuke Urahara, the butler of the house. Welcome to the residence of Starrk Coyote!"

An awkward silence filled the room. The man-Urahara...sama? San? Kisuke-san?-had his arms raised, beaming at Ichigo and Karin.

Clearing his throat, the man continued, "It's fine for you to call me Urahara-san. For your jobs... I believe that you," he said, pointing at Ichigo, "look fit as a footman. As for you young lady," glancing at Karin, "why don't you join the kitchen maids? Wait up, I have your uniforms prepared!"

Urahara disappeared for a moment, heading into the part of the room where the fire's light did not reach. He bustled around for a minute, humming and muttering to himself. Then, he emerged from the shadows carrying clothes for a footman and a kitchen maid. He handed the uniforms over to Ichigo and Karin, who took it and looked it over.

"Tomorrow, you will be taking a quick tour of the house, hopefully to make the house a little more familiar! Please wear your new uniform. Your jobs will be more thoroughly introduced to you. Please be ready by 6:00 a.m. Thank you, you are dismissed now." Urahara grinned as brother and sister awkwardly got up and shuffled out the door. Ururu, the little guide girl, was waiting outside to lead them back to their room.

* * *

"Karin..." Ichigo muttered, hands behind his head and the blanket draped over his body. After returning to the room, they had changed into sleeping clothes before going straight to bed. It felt good to finally be able to lay down and rest, but his head was clouded with his family's faces.

"What, Ichi-nii?"

Ichigo fell silent. He didn't know what to say. But he knew he shouldn't be reminding the girl any more of her family. "You think you'll be all right? Being a kitchen maid and all, I mean. I've never seen you do any housework before."

"Yeah, Mom and Yuzu always did that," mumbled Karin quietly. Ichigo slapped himself for that. Stupid! "And you? Mr. Footman."

"We'll see," Ichigo nearly whispered. He could hear Karin sigh from the top bunk.

Karin sat up, reached for the candle by her bedside, and blew. The tiny, flickering fire disappeared and the room became dark. Only the dim light of the moon at the window allowed Ichigo to see above. The dark wood of Karin's bed on top of his own somewhat gave off a sense of coziness. It was just like the wood of his ceiling back home.

"'Night, Ichi-nii."

"'Night, Karin."

* * *

A blond man sat on the couch in front of the fireplace, humming as he sipped his tea. He had just finished his meeting with the kids that had come to the mansion just today. Tugging his hat down to his eyes, he chuckled, thinking back to that boy's outburst.

"That boy was quite the spirited."

A slender woman with tan skin and purple hair entered through the door, her arms crossed. Her golden eyes scanned over the man, who looked relaxed and amused as usual.

Urahara did not glance up from the fire, taking another sip of his tea before he spoke. "My, my, have you been listening in on everything, Yoruichi?"

"When do you plan for him to meet Starrk-sama? I believe he needs a bit of... _taming_ before he serves him."

"Actually, I was planning on tomorrow evening. After his first day's work."

The woman stared, unwilling to believe the words that had just come out of that crazy blonde's mouth. "But you saw him just now! How could you think of sending him the day after he came when the boy is in that kind of state? You should know better, Kisuke."

"I'm sure he'll be fine." Urahara chuckled before placing his cooling tea on the table in front of him.

Yoruichi did not argue anymore. She knew the man well enough to know that he never changed his mind on the final decision. This was his final decision. And that was that. The boy would be meeting the master of the house tomorrow. She just hoped he would behave and not do anything stupid.

* * *

**I will be doing some research on jobs in this kind of house, and what it takes to be a footman as well as a kitchen maid. I hope you guys like it so far. :)**

**Thanks for reading, and if possible, please review!**

**Thank you, Rawr.**


	3. New

Ichigo woke up at 5:48 a.m. the next morning. He shook Karin awake as well, who groaned and sleepily rubbed her eyes before realizing where she was. Her eyes widened and she frowned, but rushed over to the table on which they had put their new uniforms the night before.

It took a little while for the siblings to get their clothes on since they had never worn anything like it before. Ichigo's uniform consisted of white stockings, black breeches, and a black tailcoat in which his orange hair looked even brighter than usual. Karin wore a blouse, a skirt, and an apron. Ichigo had never seen her in an apron before. They were ready in 9 minutes.

There were three knocks on the door that made the siblings jolt upright. Ichigo answered hastily, and in came Urahara followed by Ururu and the red-haired guide boy from the previous night.

"Urahara-san," Ichigo muttered in greeting.

"Good morning, lady and gentleman." Urahara grinned his silly grin. "Please say hello to Ururu-chan and Jinta-kun!"

The black-haired girl nodded politely, hands clasped together in front of her. The redhead boy, however, looked at Ichigo indifferently, hands jammed inside his pockets.

"Ururu-chan, Jinta-kun, you know what to do! Thank you!" Ichigo watched as the man slipped through the door with a wave.

The children nodded. Ururu bowed slightly to Karin and asked her to follow her. Ichigo felt uncertain about leaving his sister alone, but he had no choice as she walked away from him with the guide girl. Jinta, however, was nowhere near as polite as Ururu. Rather, he was quite rude.

"Oi, let's go already, Flashhead."

Ichigo shot the boy a death glare, but Jinta didn't seem to mind at all. He walked right out the door and Ichigo had no other option but to follow, however much it irked his patience.

"So you're the new guy," Jinta said. "Just don't fall behind. Only because you're new doesn't mean work will be any easier."

"Are you a footman as well?" questioned Ichigo as Jinta led him out of the Servants' Quarters.

"Nah," Jinta said with a dismissive wave. He glanced back, examining Ichigo. "You should be grateful that no one makes you powder your hair 'round here. It itches like hell."

The tour was just what Ichigo had expected. Jinta went around the house, explaining what was what and where things were. He also explained a bunch about the duties of a footman, dirty chores early in the morning, hall-duty during the day, and specific jobs at mealtimes. It was a lot, but Ichigo had good memory, almost photographic, when he meant to pay attention.

There were two other footmen, not ranked, because apparently, the master of the house did not approve of it. The three footmen became friends as soon as they met. One was a redhead with tattoos all over his body named Renji Abarai. The other was a blonde with jaw-length hair and extremely straight, white teeth named Shinji Hirako. Renji had been working in the mansion for almost a year now, but Shinji only started four months ago. Ichigo liked them and was glad he had a few friends around. He also met several female workers, who he thought were nice.

There were three nurses: a black-haired girl with brown eyes named Momo Hinamori, a shorter, violet-eyed girl, who also had black hair, named Rukia Kuchiki, and a girl with neck-length blond hair named Ririn. According to what the three told Ichigo, they worked under the head nurse, Retsu Unohana. They seemed to admire her a great deal, blabbing on and on about how she could do anything when it came to injuries and illnesses. They seemed very enthusiastic about their work too, even though there wasn't much of it because the master had no kids.

The chambermaids consisted of three ladies as well. They were older than the nurses, of course, who were all only 13-15 years old in age. Rangiku Matsumoto was a very spirited and easy-going woman with long, wavy blond hair and blue eyes. Nanao Ise was the total opposite of Rangiku. She had a serious personality and always pinned her black hair back. The last chamber maid was a greenish-blue-haired woman with a personality in between Rangiku's and Nanao's named Nelliel Jaegerjaquez. She was intelligent and mature when it came to work, and she quickly finished whatever was assigned to her. However, when her work was done, she was childish and quite affectionate, considering how she gave Ichigo a bear-hug the moment she laid eyes on him. Apparently, her brother, namely Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, worked as a groom, which meant he cared for horses.

He also met a short, black-haired woman named Soifon, who was a parlor maid. She was diligent and hardworking, her hair worn short with two braids in white cloth, ending in two large rings. She also seemed to take a disliking to Ichigo as soon as she saw him. Her companion was a much taller, dark-skinned woman with a personality similar to hers, but quieter. Her name was Tier Harribel, and Ichigo was glad that it didn't seem like she hated him. She was blond and green-eyed, and oftentimes wore clothes with high collars, covering the lower half of her face.

During the tour, Jinta made Ichigo try some of his jobs out "to see if he was any good". By the end of the day, the orange-haired boy was absolutely exhausted. They were in front of Ichigo's room, and Jinta had some last-minute explanations.

"So, like I said earlier, Renji, Shinji, and you will rotate with each chore every week." Jinta explained. "Do you remember your schedule for tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Ichigo said with a nod. He had run over it thousands of times in his head.

"Right, then. Dinner is at half-past nine. Footmen should be there by nine. After that, Urahara-san wanted you to go with Renji and Shinji to collect the boots." Jinta said. He looked up, but Ichigo looked confused. "You have to collect boots from Starrk-sama, Orihime-sama, Urahara-san, Shihōin-san, Kaien-san, Isane-san, and Yumichika-san. Renji and Shinji will know. Just follow them around."

"Oh, okay."

"Oh, and help them serve dinner. After the boots, I'm going to come get you again. We have to go somewhere. Got it?"

"Yeah," Ichigo muttered. It felt weird to have to listen to and do whatever a little red-haired kid told him. Speaking of red hair... "Hey, are you, in any way, related to Renji?"

The boy suddenly scrunched his face up. But the rotten expression lasted only a moment, and he shrugged. "Yeah. My last name's Abarai."

"I see..." Ichigo grinned. The resemblance was remarkable.

Soon, Jinta left. Ichigo stepped into his room, glad to finally be able to rest. Karin was already inside, resting her forehead on top of the wooden table. She looked up when her brother entered.

"Karin!" Ichigo smiled. "How was it? Your tour, I mean." He walked over to sit on an empty chair.

"I don't want to be a kitchen maid," Karin grumbled. "But I met some cool people."

"Like?"

"Well," Karin said with a large grin on her face, sitting up straight. "There's this guy..."

"What guy!" Ichigo blurted on instinct. He quickly regretted it when Karin shot him a death glare. "Sorry."

"Anyway... there's this guy named Toshiro. He's a page-boy, and he has these amazing aqua-colored eyes and pure white hair, completely natural! He says he's, like, a messenger, so he's really fast. But guess what the best part is?"

"What?" Ichigo could not help the smile forming on his lips. His sister, finally! Someone she takes interest in! He just hoped this boy was good enough.

"He's awesome at fote-ball!"

Ugh. Of course. Fote-ball. Fote-ball was Karin's life. She used to play it all the time back home on her free time, and she was good at it too. Ichigo sometimes would play with her, kicking the ball, avoiding her attacks, getting the goals...

"So you like him?"

Karin's eyes widened, and she coughed. "No! He's so weird. And strange. And odd. And..."

"Whatever," Ichigo said with a grin. "What time is it?"

"I dunno, like, nine."

"Shit!" Ichigo stood up, knocking the chair over. "See you at dinner, Karin! It's at 9:30!"

"O-okay!" Karin called as her brother dashed out the door.

The walls rushed past Ichigo as he raced down the hallway. He did his best to remember where the Sevants' Hall was, but there were just so many twists and turns in these endless passages! Soon, he was lost like a little child lost in the mart.

"Ichigo?"

The boy glanced up from where he had been staring at his feet as he walked. It was Rangiku, the chambermaid he had met earlier in the day.

"Rangiku-san!"

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in the Hall to lay the table? Where's Renji and Shinji?"

"I kind of..." Ichigo trailed off.

"You kind of...?"

"Ikindagotlostonmywaythere!"

"Ichigo," Rangiku shook her head. "Slow down!"

"Well," Ichigo blushed, "I kind of got lost... I was on my way to the Servants' Hall, but..."

For a moment, Rangiku was silent, and Ichigo glanced up. That was when she began laughing her head off.

"I'm serious, it's not funny!"

"Sorry, sorry," the blonde managed to say between giggles. Ichigo pouted while she desperately tried to stop laughing, and after a minute and 37 seconds, she calmed down. "I forgot you're new. I'll take you there, come on. I was on my way there for dinner anyway. Being a little early won't matter."

* * *

**Yesss, I made Nelliel and Grimmjow siblings, Renji and Jinta as well. The redheads really look alike when they're young! If you don't believe me, just look up "jinta and renji" and you'll see what I mean!**

**Fote-ball is like soccer, I think. An old term I researched, but if I'm wrong, please tell me.**

**Sorry if Karin seems ooc, but well, all of my writing is basically pretty ooc, so... yeah. Not that I try to make it that way! I try my best, it's just not very good. :(**

**This chapter was incredibly lame, but I needed it as a bridge, or fill-in or whatever.**

**Oh, and the way the servants' jobs are arranged doesn't have anything to do with their status in the real Bleach anime/manga. For example, Soifon is a high and mighty captain in truth, but in here, she's only a parlor maid. (****Speaking of Soifon, I know her name is spelled Suì-Fēng, but that's a handful, so I'm spelling it Soifon.)**

**Thanks for putting up with me and reading. Reviews? Positive feedback and constructive criticism is welcome, but no flames please! Don't like, don't read.**


	4. The Master

**Major problem - I am slowly losing my love for this paring. Uh oh. I haven't read a good Starrk/Ichi in a loooooonnnggg time, so I need one right now! If any of you know a good one, please tell me about it! It only takes one minute. I'd really appreciate it. I have already read "Death and the Strawberry", "Genophobia", and a few others (shout out to BonneNuit! Amazing writer - love her).**

**And thanks guys - Cuzosu, KayentaKheals, Mountain-Tenshi, Rosetorn22, TobiBlack, drmona lord, Moonlight, NGBW, KageOokami69, Mera Arem Rema, MissShortandSweet, RaNdOmNaMe 5458636, Ruyuz, SakaSandora, and drasaki! :)**

**I found out how to reply to reviews, by the way, so I will start replying from now on.**

**Thanks for bearing with me even though I didn't update in ****_ages_**** (two weeks), but here's your chapter! Hope you like~~~**

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"Ah, I'm so late!"

"Relax, Ichigo," Rangiku said, totally relaxed herself. She slowly strolled across a large hall, Ichigo walking quickly ahead, then pacing back, and repeating the process to match the woman's pace. He wanted so much for her to speed up a little, but she didn't notice at all, humming happily.

It was almost 9:30. Six minutes until then, actually. He was supposed to be in the Hall by nine!

Just then, Rangiku turned a corner and arrived at a door. She pushed it open, revealing a fairly large room with a long wooden table in the center. The tablecloth was white, draped over the entire length of the table. Dishes and cups were arranged neatly in front of two benches on either side. Renji and Shinji looked up, startled, from where they were lighting a few candles.

"Rangiku-san? Ichigo?" Renji said, confusion apparent in his expression. "We thought you weren't coming at all, Ichigo."

"Our newbie here got lost," Rangiku explained, making Ichigo blush.

"Sorry, I meant to come earlier..." the orange-haired teen muttered in apology.

"Nah, whatever, man. I was like tha' too when I firs' came 'ere." Shinji chuckled as he gave light to the last candle. He stepped back, hands on hips, and admired his work.

"Yeah, I remember that. You tell him to go somewhere, and he would be wandering around the entire mansion but seemed to always avoid the exact place he was supposed to go." Renji laughed.

Even Rangiku chimed in. "Oh, and there was that one time when he had to go with the carriage, but he somehow ended up on the top floor, not knowing how to get outside." Everyone laughed, and then the door to the Hall opened. In came several people, here for their meal. There were some that Ichigo recognized, like the ones he met on the tour. However, others were new to him. He also got to meet Grimmjow, Nelliel's fraternal twin brother, whose most distinct feature was is striking blue hair.

Upper staff, like Urahara and a purple-haired woman, sat towards the head of the table, many seats from Ichigo, having their own conversations about the profit this week. The orange-haired boy sat with his new friends: the chambermaids, the nurses, and the footmen. There were new faces as well, like the grooms: Grimmjow and a male with dark skin so tall and muscly that it was hard to believe he really was only 15.

Overall, the dinner was enjoyable, and not at all like anything Ichigo had expected. Even Karin seemed to be having fun. He had always thought that wealthy houses like this one were strict, formal, and all those yucky stuff. Apparently, this household was very different.

"Starrk-sama is very generous, and his morals are very admirable. You're lucky to be here, Ichi, instead of all those other boring, slave-driven houses!" Nelliel said, grinning at Ichigo. She turned around, and seeing her brother's green-filled dish, she exclaimed, "You can't leave out your veggies, Grimmy! They're a blessing, you know. We don't get them everyday. Here," she scolded, jabbing half of the vegetables with her fork and stuffing them into Grimmjow's unsuspecting mouth. He choked on it, and attempted to spit everything out, but was stopped by Nelliel's hand. "Swallow!"

Reluctantly, the blue-haired man gulped down the food. As soon as Nelliel pulled away, though, he grabbed his glass of water and drained it. "What the fuck, Nel? That stuff is disgusting shit! You're so annoying! Just like Mother."

"It's not good to leave out your veggies. You should be grateful," Nel said, her voice dangerously low. "And watch your fucking mouth, Grimm." Nelliel's expression suddenly turned dark and quite frightening for a moment, but she began smiling cheerily again not a second later. The change was so abrupt and drastic that Ichigo wondered if he had imagined it.

Grimmjow growled, and began poking the revolting green stuff on his plate with his fork. Ichigo stared wide-eyed at the two, but the others didn't seem to mind at all.

"You better get used to it, Ichigo, they're always like that," Renji explained, shoving a bit of his bread into his mouth.

The meal went well, and afterwards, the three footmen stayed behind to clear the table. A scullery maid named Kiyone washed the dishes for them, and soon, Ichigo was out of the Hall.

"So," Renji began. "We collect the boots of the master and upper staff every night after dinner. You should know up to there, right?"

Ichigo nodded.

"Righ', we usually split up ta get the work done faster," Shinji explained, "but since yer new and all, I'm jus' thinkin' it'll be better if we stick together for tonight."

Ichigo nodded again.

"Let's get goin', then!"

Collecting boots from their superiors was quite simple business. It didn't take much time, and it helped Ichigo to get to know them a little better. Not as a friend, of course, but he got to find out a little more about their personalities, so to speak. For example, Urahara and Kaien thanked the footmen with bright smiles when they picked up the boots, while Yumichika did not bother to peek out of the bathroom even though the door was wide open and he was only gazing into his mirror.

Finally, they split up with a quick goodbye, and Ichigo returned to his room. Now he was REALLY tired! Oh, but...

He groaned when he remembered what Jinta had said about coming to pick him up again for a meeting with the lord of the house. Ichigo was actually quite nervous. He wondered if new servants normally visited the master, or if it was just another "only-this-household" thing. He hoped nothing went wrong. If he made a bad move, it could lead to the possibility of losing the farm, or maybe increase in the debt, something that could make Karin and the family back home even more miserable than they were already. He could not risk the chance of disappointing his family.

"Oh, Triangle-eyes, you're here."

Looking up from where his eyes were glued to the ground, Ichigo was met with Jinta, who looked rather amused. Ichigo nodded, ignoring the name the boy had given him. Jinta jerked his chin, indicating he should follow, so he did. _Be good,_ he told himself_, be really good._

They walked up staircases and through tons of winding passages and hallways. Ichigo wondered how in the world he was ever going to be able to go around this house without help. It was so freakishly huge.

Soon, Ichigo stopped. That was because Jinta had stopped. They were now in front of a large mahogany door. Ichigo had seen this door before, when Renji, Shinji, and he had come to collect boots. But he hadn't gone in, and had instead waited in front of the door. So this was his first time inside.

"Right," Jinta said with a sly grin, "in you go." The boy knocked, and when he heard a muffled grumble from inside, he pushed the door open and gestured towards the room. With a gulp, Ichigo entered.

The room was nothing like he had ever seen before. Several small Aubusson rugs covered the floor and one much larger than the rest lay under the enormous canopied four-poster bed in the center of the room. The bed was richly colored, the blanket burgundy and scattered with more than enough pillows. Flowers and exotic birds decorated the wallpaper, while velvet draperies dressed the windows. Elaborate rosewood furniture displayed beautiful collectibles around the room that all looked extremely expensive. A marble-topped nightstand stood proudly next to the bed, while an oversized mirror leaned against another wall. Beside it was a beautiful ornate armoire.

There was a strange thing about the room, however, and that was that there were many, many, many cushions scattered all throughout. And they were enormous. Some were probably larger than Ichigo himself. They looked even comfier than the bed. There were so many in the spacious room that he could barely see the rugs underneath. There was a cushion even in front of the door, so Ichigo had to push hard to open it all the way.

On one of the larger cushions, Ichigo caught a glimpse of brown hair. Glancing back at Jinta, who urged him on with a smirk, he cautiously stepped forward. As he approached, the cushion shifted a little, and a yawn came from behind it. Slowly, he approached, reaching out.

Suddenly, the door shut loudly behind him and he almost yelped. However, he managed to quiet down and kept walking forward.

On the cushion was a fully grown, slumbering man, who Ichigo assumed was the master of this gigantic house. He was snoring softly, arms stretched out above his head. His dark brown hair came down to the base of his neck in unkempt, yet graceful waves. The man's beard, however, was groomed into a perfect fade. He was... well, beautiful. Unlike any of the farmer men back home.

Ichigo quickly shook himself out of his daze, mentally whacking himself for thinking something like that. He hesitated before leaning down and gently shaking the man, hoping it would be enough to wake him. It was not. The man - ah, what had the others called him? - turned away from Ichigo in his sleep and continued snoring.

_Oh man, _Ichigo thought to himself, _what do I do? He won't wake up!_

So the boy tried again, but his actions were in vain. He bit his lip, wondering if he would get in trouble if he yelled at the man. Just then, the door to the room swung open, making Ichigo whip his head to its direction.

In the doorway stood a short, young-looking girl with baby pink eyes and lime green hair. Her outfit was rather revealing, considering this was in the mansion of perhaps one of the wealthiest landlords in the area. Behind her was a baffled Jinta, which was a sight Ichigo had yet to see before. The girl scanned the room, and when her eyes landed on Ichigo, he gulped.

The girl stomped over, hands on hips and scowling. For a moment, Ichigo thought she was going to whack him for being rude to the master of the house, but she just passed him. Turning around, he saw that her actual destination was to the man on the couch, the master.

What happened next was something Ichigo had not expected. At all.

The girl inhaled deeply, ignoring Jinta's protests, and jumped. Really high. She jumped, then dropped straight down onto the sleeping man's stomach, at the same time yelling at the top of her lungs, "OI, WAKE UP, STARRK YOU LAZY BASTARD!"

Screaming, the man - Starrk - shot up, coughing and clutching his pained stomach. Ichigo's eyes widened. How could someone do that to the master of the house? But the girl only grinned dangerously down at the man.

"Yay, sleeping beauty is finally up!"

"Give me a break," Starrk grumbled and attempted to go back to sleep, but the girl hopped onto his shoulders and squeezed her legs together, crushing his face between them. His muffled yells barely made it to the surface.

"You're still saying that?" the girl laughed. Ichigo glanced back at Jinta, who only sighed, giving up.

"All right, all right, I'm up!"

Finally, the girl let go, allowing the man some breath. Starrk panted and coughed, massaging his own head.

"Lilynette, you brat..." he grumbled, glaring at the girl.

"Well, I'm leaving now! No need to thank me. Good luck, Orange-head!" With that, the girl - namely Lilynette - slammed the door shut and was gone before he knew it.

An exasperated sigh escaped Starrk's lips. Slowly, he got up and almost crawled to the bed, sitting down on it with his back leaned against the headboard. He stared at Ichigo like he was waiting for him to do something.

"Well?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Um," Ichigo looked around, completely lost. "Well what?"

The brown-haired man blinked, looking like he did not understand the situation. He sat up straight. "What do you mean, 'well what'?"

Unconsciously, Ichigo scowled. What did that guy mean, what did he mean? He meant just what he said! What else was he to do?

Seeing that Ichigo was not going to answer, Starrk leaned back again. "Whatever. Hurry up and strip so we can get this over with."

This time, it was Ichigo's turn to blink in confusion. Had he heard right? Had that man just told him to _strip_? And what was there to get over with?

"I'm sorry?" Ichigo asked as politely as he could.

"Huh," Starrk raised his eyebrows, and a little more loudly, he said, "I told you to hurry and strip so we can get this over with."

So he had heard correctly. He had been told to _strip._ Nobody had ever told him to do _that _before. And nobody in this house had bothered to warn him about this situation, and Starrk certainly did not look like the person that would want to explain. So Ichigo just stood still, dumbfounded, staring at the man in the bed.

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**Thanks for reading! ;)**


	5. Crazy

**Herro :)**

**Thanks to NGBW, Ailysa, MyBlueEyes, Tay Stolle, TokenAsian, ItachiSadEyes, Madame Hearts, and magicalsorcerer on the last chapter!**

**Hope you enjoy =D**

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"Is it really okay?" Jinta muttered, watching the two males in the room through the little crack he had left when closing the door. "Urahara-san?"

The blonde just grinned his usual smug grin, his hat shadowing his eyes. "I'm not sure what you mean, Jinta."

"I mean, you didn't tell Orange-head about this like you do with all the others." Jinta reasoned as quietly as he could, clicking his tongue at Ichigo who stood still even when Starrk obviously told him to do something. "Ah, I knew it. This guy's so much trouble! Look at him, blinking stupidly, he annoys me! That glasses boy was at least obedient, jeez."

"Yare yare, Jinta," Urahara chuckled. "We'll see what happens, ne?"

Reluctantly, the red-haired boy gave in, crossing his arms as he glared into the room. He just hoped Starrk-sama would be generous with the brat.

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Ichigo stood still as stone, only his fingers making movement as they fidgeted with his tailcoat. The room was silent, and he didn't like it. He gulped, and cleared his throat.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid I didnt hear correctly. Did you say 'strip'?"

"You heard right."

The boy fell silent again, chewing on the inside of his cheek instead of looking for something to say. If this was back home, the man saying this to him would already have the day lights beaten out of him. But this was not home. This was a wealthy landlord's mansion in which he served as a footman. If he made a wrong move, he would definitely be punished for his actions. But still, this was...

A sigh escaped Starrk's lips and Ichigo jolted at the sound.

"Um..."

"What's your name?"

Blinking, Ichigo looked up. "I-Ichigo Kurosaki, sir."

"Come here, Ichigo."

Secretly glad that the man hadn't asked about the meaning of his name (he hated when people called him strawberry), Ichigo did as he was told. He walked over to the bed and stood next to the nightstand.

"Look..."

"Whoa!" Ichigo yelped as he was suddenly pulled down onto the extremely cushy bed by a surprisingly strong arm.

Starrk sighed, a scowl forming on his face. He was _on top_ of Ichigo now, large hands gripping the boy's wrists above his head. Ichigo stared up at him with wide brown eyes. The man narrowed his own with another sigh. "I wanted to hang around and pretend, but Lilynette barged in once already. She can barge in again. And she won't be happy if I do not do this."

The man became silent as he waited for Ichigo to say something, but his response was unlike anything he had expected. "T-t-t-t... TOO CLOSE!" Ichigo screamed, immediately beginning to struggle in the larger man's firm grasp. He brought his knee up and caught the man in the stomach, not thinking about the possible consequences. Starrk grunted and let go, falling back and gripping his stomach. "What the fuck? You're crazy! You're all crazy! Out of your minds, every single one of you!"

Then he shot up, yanked the tall door open, and dashed out of the room. With wide eyes, he caught a brief glimpse of an equally surprised Jinta and a smirking Urahara, but his legs would not allow him to linger as he sprinted down the hall. He just hoped he was going in the right direction.

Back in the master bedroom, Starrk was very confused. No one had ever spoken to him like that or acted towards him in such manner before, much less turn their back on him and run from him without his permission. This was... rather interesting. It was a new feeling. The fiery defiance within that boy... He could feel it even though the boy had tried so hard to hide it. Well, at first, that is. Still, it was fascinating, so much so that he did not feel sleepy anymore. It made him feel alive, which was a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time.

"Oh my!"

Looking up, Starrk blinked as Urahara entered the room, grinning as usual and carrying his cane. Starrk had always wondered why the man carried it when obviously he could walk just fine.

"O-oi, Urahara-san, aren't you going to go after him?" a little red-haired boy, sputtered. What was his name? But then he noticed Starrk and instantly averted his eyes from the man. "Starrk-sama! I-I mean..."

"Jinta," Urahara silenced the boy.

"Urahara," Starrk said.

The blonde's eyes widened just slightly, but his silly grin returned almost immediately. "Ha~ai?"

"What... was that just now? Who is he?"

The man looked at him from the corners of his eyes for a while, then sighed. "Well," Urahara said, "do you remember the man who begged for money, his wife by his side? He wanted the money for a farm - Isshin Kurosaki_."_

Starrk had to repress an angered growl when he heard the name. It burned his insides to the point it hurt, even with his dulled emotions.

"The boy they had with them - the baby," Urahara continued. "It's been almost 15 years since then, and that baby boy has grown up to be Ichigo."

Thoughts and memories rushed in Starrk's mind, and one in particular, one of a newlywed couple - a dark-haired man with a beautiful wife - rose to the surface. But he pushed it back down and shook his head. "I have no recalling of such man."

"Is that so," Urahara muttered, making his words a statement rather than a question. But he stared intently at Starrk as if he knew the man remembered. Then back in his overly cheerful state, he declared, "Well, looks like he is rather innocent, ne?"

"Did you not inform him of what he was to do?"

"He is an interesting boy," the blonde said, "I wanted to see how he would react."

Starrk frowned. Urahara seemed to take this as a hint.

"I apologize for my actions. Shall I dismiss him from his position?"

Starrk thought for a moment, but then shook his head. He saw no reason to do that. The boy had only been shocked after all.

But... no wonder the name had sounded so familiar. When the Kurosaki couple had come to him, they carried a baby boy with spiky tangerine hair. His mother, whose name Starrk remembered as Masaki, had kept calling him Ichigo, her little Ichigo this, her little Ichigo that. He shooed the memory away.

The blonde tugged on his hat to bring it down a little more, and then left with Jinta when Starrk dismissed them.

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"Ichi-nii!"

A shocked Karin stared at her brother who had rushed into their room, panting for breath. Now, he was stuck to the door, pressing on it so no one could open it from outside. His face was flushed and his eyes were wide.

"What happened?"

The girl made Ichigo sit down, and once he calmed down, she made him tell her the entire story.

"Haha, I always _knew_ you were the uke!"

That was _not_ the reaction Ichigo had expected from his own sister when he finished speaking. "Karin!" he snapped.

"Yeah, yeah," the girl muttered. "But Urahara-san or something, was he mad at you?"

"I don't know," Ichigo muttered. "I just ran out of the room without looking back."

"Are you an idiot?"

"Shut up, damn it..." Ichigo buried his head in his hands, elbows resting on the table. This was horrible. He had defied a superior, and usually he wouldn't be bothered by something like that, but this was someone who could change his entire family's life! Most likely in a negative way, and Ichigo definitely did not want that. He wanted to protect his family and make them happy, even Goat-face. That was the sole reason he had come to this mansion in the first place, and now he had probably blown it.

"You should've just let him do you!" Karin chortled, rolling her eyes at her brother's foolishness.

"What the hell? How do you even know he wanted to have... _it_ with me?" Ichigo snarled.

"_Of course _he wanted to have sex with you. Why else do you think he would suddenly tell you to strip in his bedroom?" The girl explained, ignoring the continuous scowls she was receiving from the older boy. "But I wonder, is this normal in wealthy houses? I guess not, right? Nothing's really normal in this household anyway."

Karin sure was talking a lot today. Ichigo sighed and began to pull off his uncomfortable shoes and his black tailcoat. As he reached for his breeches, he glanced over at his sister who stood watching him patiently.

"Can you, like, turn around or something?"

The girl gave him a funny look, then said, "What, I'm your little sister for goodness sake. Are you embarrassed to change in front of your own family member? No wonder you couldn't strip in front of that guy."

"Shut up," Ichigo mumbled and reluctantly continued taking off his clothes, doing his best to cover most of his body as he did so. He knew Karin was his sister but... It still made him uncomfortable with someone watching him change. When he finished and looked up, Karin had already flung on her night clothes.

"Ichi-nii," Karin said once they were both in their beds, the girl on top and Ichigo on bottom. "If you happen to get us fired and blow the opportunity to earn some money for the farm, I will kill you."

"Tch," the carrot-top rolled his eyes, shifting into a more comfortable position with his hands clasped behind his head. "You don't have to tell me for me to to know."

And then Karin grinned, facing the wall next to her bed. But she did not need to peek down at Ichigo to know that he was grinning too. Maybe life here won't be _too_ bad after all. That is, if they manage to escape a dismissal from Urahara-san.

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**Thanks for reading! Review/alert? ;)**


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